Lesa was
my baby sister. Mom tells me that I used to climb into Lesa’s
crib and sing her lullabies. She was born in Chicago and grew up in
the San Fernando Valley. She attended the University of California at
San Diego where she learned to scuba dive, and Cal Berkeley, where
she developed a passion for researching history. She graduated from
Humboldt State, cum laude, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in
History. Lesa earned her Master of Library Science at the
University of Hawaii in Manoa. She returned to HSU and for many years
supervised the wonderful student assistants who worked the
circulation desk at the Humboldt State Research Library.
Lesa was
a beautiful, petite munchkin, all 4’10” of her. “Everyone
who knew Lesa thought of her as their best friend,”
explains a dear friend, who has known her since their Berkeley days.
“She was quiet when I first met her, but before long we were
traipsing along Strawberry Creek, spilling our hearts out to each
other, our sides aching from so much laughter. Lesa was
quiet, unassuming and a totally enchanting friend. You always wanted
to be in her orbit. She made people feel loved and understood.”
Lesa kept her friends forever. Many lifelong friends will
miss her dearly.
She
came to Humboldt County with her beloved Golden Retriever mix, Oso,
in the 1970s. She wanted to “live a healthy and meaningful life
close to nature.” A love of learning and researching drew her to
work in libraries throughout Humboldt County where, among other
duties, she drove the bookmobile to rural areas.
While
working towards her B.A. at HSU, Lesa was hired as a
student assistant to help archive records for The Humboldt Labor
History Project. She met Noel Harris in the basement of the HSU
Library and he began telling her stories of his lifetime working in
the lumber and plywood industries, particularly as a Union
Representative. The interviews developed into a deep and lasting
friendship with Noel and his wife Ina. Lesa’s book “The Town
that had Enough: a History of Field’s Landing and Its Whaling
Station” was published in 2014.
Lesa built
a home in Jacoby Creek surrounded by 7 acres of forest. She loved
hiking the Arcata Marsh, the Community Forest and the Hammond Trail
with Oso who was “magnificent and psychic.” Kona was her next
pup, a large chocolate lab who became a dear companion.
Currently, Dulce (“sweet” in Spanish) is a white standard doodle
who dances like a goat when she becomes excited. Dulce is now in the
loving care of her nephew Dane and will dance out her days on the
beaches of Land’s End in San Francisco.
In
high school, Lesa and her friends took up folk dancing and
never quit. She was a long-time member of the Humboldt Folk Dancers
in Arcata. In fact, she literally danced her way off the stage
of life. The day after her 71st birthday, she was folk dancing with
her loving community of folk dancers when she felt sick and dizzy.
Her friends rushed her to Mad River Hospital. Doctors diagnosed a
stroke and massive brain bleed.
She
was transferred to Mercy Redding Hospital. Our deep-felt thank
you to the nurses, doctors, Trauma Service and staff at Mercy,
Redding ICU 2N. We will always remember you for your smiles,
expertise, loving kindness, and outstanding care of Lesa. The
silver lining is that Lesa gifted her organs to several
recipients in honor of her nephew Jared, who gratefully received a
liver transplant in November 2025.
Lesa is
survived by her sister, Leslie Coleman Johnson, and her nieces and
nephews, Dylan Johnson (Emily), Elizabeth Teplitzky (Adam), Dane
Johnson, and Katie Rose Fox (Jared). She was a great aunt to Teddy,
Benji, Sylvie and Jack. She was preceded in death by her
mother, Sylvia Coleman, her father, Morrie Coleman, and her brother
Keith Coleman. Rest in peace, Lesa. We love you dearly.
###
Eventually,
all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was
cut by the world’s great flood and runs over rocks from the
basement of time. On some of the rocks are timeless raindrops. Under
the rocks are the words, and some of the words are theirs.
I
am haunted by waters.
— Norman
Maclean “A River Runs Through It”
###
The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Lesa Coleman’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
Steve Boyce, aka “Fshyone,” aka “Griz” or “Uncle Griz,”
aka “Guido,” left this earth too soon on Wednesday February 25,
2026. The world has lost a loving, compassionate, loyal, fun-loving,
generous, engaging, kind-hearted person who loved life. He had a big
laugh, the most infectious laugh many have ever known.
Steve was born in San Fernando,
California. He lived in New Mexico and then Washington state for some
years before relocating to Humboldt County in the early 1980s, where
he lived ever since.
In his youth, Steve was an avid
athlete, playing football and baseball from little league all through
high school, ultimately playing for a minor league baseball team in
southern California. After relocating to Humboldt County, he played
for the College of the Redwoods baseball team in his 30s where he
gave the young guys a run for their money.
Steve was a veteran, having served
as a Corpsman in the Navy from 1971-1975. While he disagreed with and
spent plenty of time protesting the Vietnam War, he ultimately
enlisted when he drew a lottery number 9, deciding to join the Navy
instead of being drafted. He had a short stint as the “Forrest Gump
of the Navy,” spending nearly his entire bootcamp playing (and
beating) his superiors (and there were many since he was only in
bootcamp) at ping pong.
After leaving the Navy, he received
a call from a former sailor who asked him if he was interested in
learning how to do ultrasound. He trained under some of the
“grandfathers” of ultrasound, who were professors at USC and UCLA
and ultimately became a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
(RDMS). He loved practicing ultrasound from the first time he started
learning, and he continued in this career until his retirement in
approximately 2005. He was certified in many modalities and was able
to image the entire body. He never stopped learning about ultrasound.
His favorite modalities were prenatal, cardiac and vascular. He loved
being able to show new parents images of their unborn child and he
told of times when he would freeze an image of a baby’s hand and
put it on a loop so that it looked like the baby was waving to the
parents, who of course loved the gesture.
Everyone who knew Steve knew him to
love the outdoors. In his adult life two of his favorite hobbies were
fishing and hunting. His fishing adventures are many and he came to
know the Eel River like the back of his hand; he spent many, many
hours and years in his drift boat, FSHYTWO, on both the Van Duzen and
the Eel. He occasionally ventured to the Smith or Rogue in Oregon,
but he loved the local rivers most. He was an elk and deer hunting
guide in Colorado for many, many years where he had countless
adventures and made friends he kept in touch with for life. Steve
loved the part about hunting that meant being with friends and
exploring and studying and learning from nature. Steve was passionate
and unwavering in his commitment to honoring the deer and elk he
hunted; he always said prayer and offered gratitude to the animal for
providing sustenance.
Steve was also an avid long range
precision target shooter. He was a member of Long Prairie Gun &
Archery Club for decades, pretty much from the time he moved to
Humboldt. In the years before his passing, he became the Vice
President of the Club, which gave him a voice (sometimes a loud
voice) in the day-to-day operations of the Club.
German Shorthaired Pointers captured
Steve’s heart from early adulthood. His first GSP, Buck, got him
hooked, and they had many adventures. While he dabbled in bird
hunting with Buck for a very short time, he ultimately just loved the
loyalty, goofiness, intelligence and athleticism of the breed.
Following Buck were Sammy and Budd and the current good boy, Bear,
who misses him greatly.
Steve loved his family; his friends;
dogs; sunrises and sunsets; chocolate-chocolate-chocolate; hard
physical work; an ice cold beer (PBR or Downtown Brown); talking
hunting; talking fishing; talking precision shooting; photography;
watching college football; woodworking and furniture building;
pacific giant salamanders; noticing the rainbows in dewdrops;
conversing with ravens; backpacking and hiking; water skiing; snow
skiing; river rafting; anything that immersed him in what nature had
to offer; filet mignon; elk tenderloin; elk sausage with jalapeno and
cheddar; good conversation and healthy respectful debate; John Wayne
movies; military and historical books; stewarding land; the Trinity
Alps Wilderness; and so, so, so much more.
Steve was outgoing and friendly. He
is and will be missed by many.
As were his wishes, he passed away
at home with his wife Connie by his side, supported by their dear
friend, Krista.
Steve is preceded in death by his
parents, Robert and Betty Boyce. He is survived by his partner of
more than 25 years and wife, Connie Scheckla, his son Jarid Boyce
(Angie), his daughter Janis Gallagher, and his grandchildren Sophia
Boyce, Lucas Boyce and Adele Gallagher.
Steve specifically wanted to thank
Dr. Emily Davis of Open Door, FNP Lori Cutler of the VA, and all the
staff and practitioners of Hospice of Humboldt, both the Palliative
Care team and the Hospice team, for their compassion and care at the
end of his life. His family, too, is immeasurably grateful for all of
their support.
Remembrances may be made to Hospice
of Humboldt or to Long Prairie Gun and Archery Club.
A celebration of life will be held
on Saturday, May 16, 2 to 5 p.m., at “The Creek,” where he
loved spending time during the spring, summer and fall. For anyone
who would like to attend, you can reach out to Connie directly, or
text (707) 498-8555 and details will be provided.
###
The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Steve Boyce’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
The Eureka Police Department (EPD) will conduct a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) and Driver’s License
checkpoint on Tuesday, March 17th, from 6:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., at a location within the city limits of Eureka.
The specific location will not be disclosed in advance.
The primary purpose of the checkpoint is to promote public safety by deterring impaired driving, raising
awareness, and removing suspected impaired drivers from the roadway. Officers will be looking for drivers
impaired by alcohol, cannabis, illicit drugs, or prescription medications that may affect their ability to safely
operate a vehicle.
What Drivers Can Expect
Vehicles will be stopped in a neutral, predetermined sequence
Drivers will be briefly contacted by officers trained in DUI detection
Field sobriety tests may be conducted when appropriate
Delays to motorists are expected to be minimal
Safety Reminders
Plan ahead: designate a sober driver, use public transportation, a rideshare service, or call a taxi
If you see a driver you suspect to be impaired, call 9-1-1
Medications, including some over-the-counter and prescription drugs, can impair driving ability, always
read warning labels and consult your doctor or pharmacist
Driving while impaired is not worth the risk. A DUI arrest can result in jail time, license suspension, and
significant fines and fees.
This operation is funded by a grant from the California Highway Patrol through the Cannabis Tax Fund Grant
Program.
The complaints have been amended to allege murder. District Attorney Stacey Eads notes in an email to the Outpost any juvenile court processes would be confidential.
###
Original post:
Two Hoopa teenagers are facing six felony charges for a shooting last week that left a 17-year-old dead.
Codefendants Tse-Lin Lincoln, 19, and William Randolph Billy Warren, 18, each pleaded not guilty to the charges filed by the District Attorney’s office Friday at their arraignment, according to court records.
A third defendant who was arrested on a no-bail warrant and identified by Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office as a suspect, 15-year-old Preston Ruiz II, was previously booked into Juvenile Hall on suspicion of similar charges.
The criminal complaint charges the adult pair with attempted murder, along with four counts of assault with firearms, with a total of five victims noted. Two victims identified in the complaint appear to be students at Hoopa Valley High.
Each charge has a gang-related violence enhancement, alleging the crimes were for a criminal street gang.
The pair are accused of causing brain injury to the victim resulting in coma and paralysis. The complaint alleges the codefendants shot an occupied vehicle, with the victim inside, using a handgun.
Investigators are now seeking an additional murder charge for the three suspects, according to HCSO. The defendants were initially charged hours before the victim died from his injuries Friday.
We reached out to the District Attorney’s office and will update this post when we learn more.
The victim was just over a week away from his 18th birthday when he died. The Hoopa Valley Tribe identified him as a tribal member, and a public Facebook post from a family member identified him as Dylan Andrew Moon.
Both adult defendants are being held without bail, according to court records. Lincoln is represented by the Public Defender’s office, while Warren is being represented by Conflict Counsel.
The three codefendants were located in the days following the shooting that shuttered local schools and shocked the community.
Ruiz was found in a residence located off State Highway 169 near Wautec. Billy Warren was located at a hotel in the 1900 block of 4th St. in Eureka. Lincoln turned himself into deputies at the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.
The preliminary examination for the adult codefendants is scheduled for April 28, with their next hearing in the case to be held tomorrow.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office urges anyone with information on this case to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip Line at (707) 268-2539. The Hoopa Valley Tribe has previously offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects.
Eureka City Schools administrators posted the following statement to social media this afternoon:
Dear EHS and ZOE Families,
Just after 1:00 PM today, both the Eureka High School and ZOE campuses were placed into lockdown after a threat was received. Out of an abundance of caution, administration and staff immediately implemented safety protocols while the situation was assessed. The lockdown was lifted at approximately 1:50 PM after law enforcement determined it was safe to do so, and normal learning activities resumed shortly thereafter. We would like to thank the Eureka Police Department (EPD) for their swift response and partnership in ensuring the safety of our learners and staff. As always, the safety of our learners remains our highest priority.
Thank you for your continued support.
Eureka City Schools
College of the Redwoods administrators also gave the all-clear.
CR campus was on lockdown this afternoon due to a threat to campus; we are now in the clear.
Thank you to campus security and local police for investigating swiftly.
###
UPDATE, 2:07 p.m.:
The threat appears to lack credibility, at least at the two Eureka high schools, according to law enforcement.
“We are on scene [at EHS] investigating and can confirm no credible threat,” said Eureka Police Department spokesperson Rachel Sollom.
###
Original post:
At least three local school campuses — Eureka High, Zoe Barnum High and CR’s main campus — have been placed on lockdown over concerns about a possible active shooter, though there has been no shooting, according to law enforcement officials.
“There’s no school shooter,” Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Erin Inskip said. “Deputies are responding out to Tompkins Hill Road but there is no shooting. There was a threat that somebody was being bullied and that someone would start shooting but the threat hasn’t been confirmed. CR is on a lockdown. Deputies are responding.”
CR students are on spring break this week, but they received an alert on their phones: “CR main campus lockdown - threat of a school shooter. If on campus, stay inside. If off campus, avoid the area.”
Del Norte High School has also been placed on lockdown, Redwood Voice reports. Students are currently secured inside their classrooms while law enforcement investigate a threat that had been called into the school, Del Norte Unified School District spokesman Michael Hawkins told Redwood Voice.
This story is breaking. We’ll update as more information becomes available.
Or at least that’s how the audience at the Eureka Theater last night clearly felt about the big Oscar win for “One Battle After Another.”
Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s masterful action-comedy-thriller, big portions of which were filmed right here in Humboldt County, racked up dozens upon dozens of awards over the past few months, but this was the big one.
In addition to Best Picture, Anderson took home Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay (his first Oscars after receiving 11 prior nominations); Sean Penn won Best Supporting Actor (though he was not in attendance); Andy Jugensen won for Best Editing; and Cassandra Kulukundis won the first-ever Academy Award for Best Casting.
Here in Eureka, another Cassandra — Humboldt-Del Norte County Film Commissioner Cassandra Hesseltine — basked in the glow of victory alongside many of the other local folks who were involved with the production. The Red Carpet Gala at the Eureka Theater has become an annual tradition, but never before has Humboldt had this much skin in the game.
It wasn’t quite a clean sweep for “OBAA.” Leonardo DiCaprio lost the Best Actor race to Michael B. Jordan, who won for his twin roles in director Ryan Coogler’s blues-infused vampire film “Sinners,” while Benicio del Toro and Teyana Taylor lost their supporting actor/actress bids to Penn and Amy Madigan (“Weapons”), respectively.
But it was all about that Best Picture award, and the film’s crowning achievement appeared to inspire as much joy in Eureka as it did in Hollywood.
Relive highlights from the production’s 11-day stint here in Humboldt via the links you’ll find below this gif of Leonardo DiCaprio running through Arcata.
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.
###
When a package arrives at your door, it has likely traveled through a chain of ports, railyards and warehouses throughout the state. All those ships, trains and trucks leave behind a trail of diesel exhaust as they go, driving some of the highest asthma rates in communities.
For decades, state and federal regulators have tried to clean that up. Now much of their authority is in doubt: the Trump administration revoked California’s authority to mandate electric vehicles and pulled back federal power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions — undermining California’s most effective tools.
A bill moving through the Legislature would try to fill that gap. Assembly bill 1777, authored by Democrat Robert Garcia, who represents parts of San Bernardino County, would give California air regulators authority to hold ports, warehouses and railyards accountable for the pollution they draw to nearby communities — using a regulatory tool called the indirect source rule.
The proposal “reflects this changing environment and aims to add more tools for California to combat the drastic rollback by the Trump administration’s desire to jeopardize Californians health and safety,” Garcia said in an email.
Indirect source rules essentially hold operational sites responsible for the pollution they attract, not the trucks and trains themselves. But the tool is controversial because state authority to use it isn’t clearly settled law. Even locally, where authority is more established, the indirect source rules have drawn litigation. And experts say these rules alone likely can’t make up for all the emissions reductions that California is losing out on.
Legal battles give the state pause
The ports, warehouses and railyards don’t own the trucks and trains that serve them. Why, business groups ask, should they be responsible for the pollution those vehicles leave behind?
For decades, they’ve been fighting that battle in court.
In 2005, the San Joaquin Valley Air District was the first to adopt an indirect source rule, requiring developers to reduce emissions from the construction of large industrial, commercial or residential buildings.The National Association of Home Builders sued, arguing the rule amounted to a vehicular emission standard, which is preempted by federal law.
In 2023, after the South Coast Air Quality Management District developed an indirect source rule for warehouses, the California Trucking Association sued the air district over the regulation, making similar arguments as the National Home Builders Association did two decades prior. In both cases, courts sided with air regulators.
Semi-trucks exit Yusen Terminals at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro on Feb. 11, 2025. Photo by Joel Angel Juarez for CalMatters.
The key legal distinction, courts have found, is that indirect source rules target facilities rather than vehicles. That makes them more like regulation of stationary sources — such as refineries — than vehicle emissions standards.
“Every court that’s ever seen a challenge to it has rejected the challenge,” said Brennon Mendez, an environmental law and policy fellow at the UCLA School of Law. “There’s been precedent that’s going to defend them against the challenges.”
Chris Shimoda, a lobbyist for the California Trucking Association, said the matter is far from settled.
“The Clean Air Act is pretty clear that mobile source emission standards are the exclusive providence of the federal EPA,” he said. “Just one court case that didn’t get beyond the district court is not a settled matter by any means.”
Shimoda also questioned whether the tool was ever necessary. “We’ve been extremely successful in reducing tailpipe emissions from what I call the traditional regulatory regime,” he said. “The need for indirect source review really has never been there, and it kind of laid dormant for many decades.”
State air board leaders, despite the favorable court record, have been cautious about moving forward without clearer legal authority — which is what Garcia’s proposal would provide.
Ahead of the air board’s report to the governor last year, former chair Liane Randolph said the board was weighing indirect source rules as just one piece of a broader response to federal rollbacks.
“There’s no one strategy that’s going to work,” she said. “It’s really going to need to be a suite of different things.”
A test case in Southern California
The South Coast Air Quality Management District’s warehouse indirect source rule — called the Warehouse Actions and Investments to Reduce Emissions, or WAIRE, program — offers an early look at how these rules work in practice.
Warehouses of 100,000 square feet or larger must earn points by taking actions to reduce pollution: doing business with companies that use electric trucks, installing charging infrastructure, or paying a fee that goes toward mitigating their pollution’s impact on nearby communities.
According to the South Coast air district, the results have been significant. Warehouses in the region have bought more than 1,400 zero-emission trucks and yard tractors. On average, warehouses are earning 3.5 times more points than they’re required to and mitigation fees account for just 5% of the total points earned. The fees collected total $56 million so far.
Business groups say the air district’s data doesn’t tell the whole story. Brooke Armour, executive vice president of the California Business Roundtable, said the data don’t capture how many warehouse developments were delayed or abandoned because of high operating costs. The warehouse rule, she said, is one cost layered on top of many.
“It’s not a cost in isolation; it’s a cost on top of an ever-cascading series of costs,” she said.
Independent data offer some context. Michael McCarthy, a researcher who tracks California warehouse trends, said the warehouse industry has been growing at about the same pace as the national economy over the last two decades.
“We’re currently in a warehouse construction slowdown, but it is because of broader national market forces,” he said, not necessarily regulatory forces. “Five million square feet of warehouses are currently under construction in the Inland Empire this quarter, and that is the slowest it has been” in more than a decade.
According to the South Coast air district, about 100 million square feet of warehouse space has been added to the Southern California region since the rule went into effect.
Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable, warned that AB 1777 would give state regulators sweeping new economic authority.
“This bill represents essentially providing (the California Air Resources Board) and the other regulatory agencies with the greatest ability to control California’s economy of any of the bills that we have seen, especially since cap-and-trade.” he said.
Supporters of the bill say that framing ignores a different set of costs entirely.
“When families have to choose between buying their inhaler from their diesel‑induced asthma and putting food on their table, that’s a cost of living issue,” said Ada Waelder, a policy advocate with environmental group Earthjustice.
A step toward electrification
The stakes are significant. The California Air Resources Board projects that the loss of state programs, including its mandate to electrify cars and heavy duty trucks, will lead to 14,500 more deaths, 5,000 more hospitalizations and 6,700 more emergency room visits from respiratory and cardiovascular problems by 2037.
“The gap that exists in California’s clean air progress because of those federal actions is significant. It is deadly,” said Will Barrett with the American Lung Association.
Indirect source rules won’t close the gap on their own. But Sam Wilson, senior vehicles analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said such rules would help lay the groundwork for wide-scale electrification — and that other states are taking notice. In Illinois, a measure inspired by the South Coast WAIRE program, called the Warehouse Pollution Reduction Act, is making its way through the legislative process.
“One thing that the states can do while we’re in the current political landscape is to help to build those foundations for future freight electrification through indirect source rules.”
In California, Wilson added, “It is literally the worst time to throw our hands up and say we can’t do anything about it.”
